This series of blogs is called IN PASSING, and in it I'll be interviewing bands/artists I love and trying to shed further light (in the small ways I can) on their music to give anyone who may come across this a reason to listen to them. I want to focus on smaller music that deserves more attention than it gets. All blogs in this series will include an unabridged (yet, slightly edited) interview with the artists and a small write-up from me. As always, send music, shows, suggestions for artist interviews, and anything ever that you want to talk about or see covered to [ fosterhildingmusic@gmail.com ] or DM me on Instagram.
Izzy's on this one!
Far off in the lands of Broward County, Florida, scrunched between Bhad Bhabie and the Island Boys lies a humble abode of talented creatives. Florida has left an iconic mark on the world--not just for the state’s wild headlines, but for the music that has made its way out of the everglades and into the mainstream. I was delighted to invite JP of Chameleon Emissary on the blog for this interview and I am excited to watch this band’s upward projection into the alternative sphere.
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| photos courtesy of JP Rodriguez. |
How did you end up in Florida?
I was always in Florida. I'm from South Florida, (Pembroke) Pines. I travel a lot, but I've always kind of stayed here. Hoping to maybe leave eventually. New York is one of my favorite places--upstate. Being upstate and then able to go to the city would be cool because there's also a lot of stuff in the entertainment industry up there. California I’m more on the fence of ever moving to, just because of the prices of everything. If I was rich, I would.
Did you go to college? How did you start pursuing music?
I initially started at Broward College for music tech, but COVID kind of forced me to re-prioritize a lot of things. Eventually I went back to school for film. Music's something that I feel I have enough education in where I shouldn't have to go to school and waste more time there. I can spend time working on the film side of things that I like to do and work on my music on the side. I want to use my experience and expertise from film school to help make music videos for the band.
How long have you been making music?
I've been putting out music since around 2020, but I've been involved with music for 13 years: since I was nine. I started learning guitar at a local music school for fun. My dad tried to get me into it when I was four and he got me a guitar for Christmas. I didn't touch it and it ended up losing two strings, even though no one played it, which doesn't make any sense... I feel like my brother did that. I feel like he's the reason why it's missing strings. After that, I just kept playing music. I did more at School of Rock and played lots of gigs--played at Lollapalooza twice because of that, which was very interesting. We met people like Ninja for some reason. Chance the Rapper, Rex Orange County. We came pretty close to meeting Jack White, but he was busy. That led me to making my own music and finally developing some music with bands and creating my own. The one I'm starting right now is the one I want to go forward with, being in a band.
What are you starting now?
It's a project me and my friend Sebastian started. Sometimes I would write songs that I would release on Spotify and I would show him the song and ask him, “What do you think?” And after I’d play the song he’d usually give me a pretty good reaction. But, I showed him this one song, which is the one that we're releasing. We were in his car playing it and afterwards he's like, “Bro, I don't care what I do, but just let me do something on that song.” It didn’t have vocals yet, and he sings pretty good, so I put him on vocals. He's also a guitar player, so what we’re going to do is--he’ll let me handle the brunt of the guitar work while he does vocals, but periodically he’ll help write the full song and do a solo sometimes. Live--whatever he can't play and sing, I'm just going to play anyway.
What genre?
I would say it leans more into progressive metal and djent.
Was there any inspiration recently?
Well, Periphery is my main influence when it comes to writing stuff, even if I try not to. I'm into bands like Dead Poet Society, but I would say our main influences are Periphery, Memphis May Fire, and this instrumental band called Vitalism. There are remnants of Dream Theater in terms of how I structure my songs. It’s a more refined process and the structures are more concise. My music gets to the point more. I feel like I’ve refined my songwriting process to where I feel satisfied with it.
My solo stuff is more there for people to see my journey growing as a musician and producer. Through each of these [singles], you definitely hear where I improved and where I'm getting better. Some of it I would prefer not to have up anymore because it doesn't represent who I am as a person or musician, but also it's like a little time capsule. So I don't know, I'm kind of on the fence about keeping it up or not.
I've noticed some of your songs sound really electronic and lean into dubstep territory while others that are more progressive rock.
I'm definitely going to lean more towards what my current sound is, which is more a refined metal sound that has a little bit of EDM influence. Actually, there is some music that we're working on for Chameleon Emissary that is tech metal--heavy metal with an electronic, punchy beat.
What made you open to working with somebody else?
Well, I’ve always wanted to be in a band that worked and I was in a lot that didn't. I joined a band recently where we did some gigs, and that helped give me gain the experience and the connections to start my own thing. I’m starting [Chameleon Emissary] with my friend Sebastian. We've always collaborated and made videos together so, at this point, it made sense to just try to start a band together. We’re both into the same kind of music and both have the connections and know-how to start an actual band.
How long have you known Sebastian?
10 years. I met him freshman year of high school in a guitar class. We were the two more advanced kids. We really just hung out because we both liked playing guitar. He's like, “Bro, you know how to shred?” and I said, “Yeah,” and he's like, “Oh, let’s shred,” and that's how we became friends. He's featured on one of my songs and he did a guitar solo. But I mean, it's a whole different thing when you're dedicating time to working on a project with somebody.
How did you land on the name?
Well, actually, I got the idea from a Japanese rock band called Lie and a Chameleon. I like the chameleon aspect of the name. Then, for some reason the word emissary popped into my head. It's like a diplomat or a delegate. The name basically means spy, someone that's trying to blend in.
How’s your new single coming along?
We did a music video for John W1ck. The subject matter is pretty serious, it’s about a hitman. It's a pretty violent music video, but we also offset it with a lot of humor. A lot of silly stuff in there too, comedic relief.
There's a Walking Dead reference in the video and I own the Lucille bat that we're referencing in that scene, but I left the bat at home. So, we used this Red Ryder BB gun that Sebastian had. It's funny because he already has a pistol on him but instead of using his pistol he’s pistol-whipping with the BB gun.
Do you have an album that you're preparing?
We're working on other music right now. We're trying to develop more of a set list to start gigging with. I'll have to develop this band a little bit before we can do that. We're thinking we're either going to release in singles or maybe in an EP. We haven’t decided yet. We’re just trying to get this song out and get things going.
What would you say to an aspiring musician?
Well, first a warning: everything's really expensive. You may not have money for a while. Keep a day job while you're trying to get everything going. If you really want to do it, you just have to keep doing it. Keep practicing, keep trying to meet people. Eventually you'll meet the right people that you want to do something with, and then you’ll get your foot in the door or maybe you'll meet some people with connections. Keeping it going is the most important thing because if you just stop, you're never going to get anywhere. If you keep going, eventually you will be able to do something with it. It will take time, a lot of patience and a lot of hope.
Stream COLOSSUS.
-Izzy
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